


Ignis Fatuus

by bringtheraincomprix (vespidrankka)



Series: Master Thief AU [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: F/F, Fox!Lila, Master Thief AU, and i'm steering it right into a storm of GAY, hell yeah this is a rarepair, i'm steering this ship all on my own, probably some innuendos because I enjoy them
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-04-14
Updated: 2018-07-09
Packaged: 2019-04-22 21:18:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,931
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14317347
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/vespidrankka/pseuds/bringtheraincomprix
Summary: Almost ten years since Miraculous holders first made themselves known in Paris, a valuable brooch is stolen from the Agreste mansion under Chat Noir's nose. The next day, the news is everywhere; there's a foxy thief at large in the City of Lights.In the midst of a hunt for a Miraculous-wielding criminal, the Mayor's secretary Sabrina falls asleep at her desk and is awoken by an unexpected visitor. Unwittingly drawn to the fiery fox, Sabrina might just find herself straying far from the beaten path.*I somehow managed to accidentally delete this story? So reposting. Whoops.*





	1. Chapter 1

“Trixx, detransform me.”

Lila exhaled in relief as her transformation fell, stepping forward to drop onto her couch as the fox kwami materialised in the room, fluffing out his large tail crossly.

“That was close!” he huffed. “You need to stop cutting it so fine.”

Lila shrugged, dragging her fingers through her windswept hair. “You’re telling me. Chat nearly caught me.” She smirked. “But I still got away with something.”

Trixx tutted, but his curiosity soon got the better of him. “What did you get this time?” he asked, darting closer.

“Just this,” Lila huffed, holding out the glittering brooch she’d swiped from the safe in the Agreste mansion. “Chat Noir appeared so fast that I barely managed to escape. It was only that Ladybug mirage that got me out of there.” She held the brooch up to examine it, idly watching the light reflect off the circular gemstones set around its edge.

Trixx’s eyes widened. “Lila, do you know what this is?”

Lila glanced at him; he was staring at the brooch with something between delight and shock. “What? What’s wrong?”

“This is a Miraculous!” Trixx shrieked. “The Peacock Miraculous! It’s been missing for decades!” He began flitting around the room, his tail fluffed up. “We need to take it to the Guardian, we need to let him know it isn’t lost- I need to talk to Duusu!”

“Whoa.” Lila caught him as he flew past her head. “Calm down. Who is Duusu?”

Trixx darted back to the brooch. “She’s the kwami of the Peacock Miraculous.” He inspected the brooch more closely. “She’s sleeping in here. I can sense her power.”

“What was a Miraculous doing in a safe at the Agreste mansion?” Lila asked.

Trixx shrugged. “I don’t know. The Peacock Miraculous disappeared years ago, like I said. Only Duusu and her last holder know why she was in that safe.”

“Well… can we ask her?” Lila picked up the brooch again. “Will she come out?”

Trixx looked troubled. “I don’t know. She’s dormant at the moment, she might not wake up without a new holder. We should really be taking her to the Guardian.”

“You know we can’t do that,” Lila said. “Carapace is the Guardian now and he’d only want to take you away from me.”

“I know,” Trixx said, dejected. “Well… I suppose you should just keep hold of it for now.”

Noticing his ears droop, Lila frowned at him as she placed the brooch in her safe. “What’s wrong?”

“I’m happy that you’ve found the brooch,” Trixx muttered glumly. “But I’ve missed Duusu. She’s my other half. I just wish I could see her.”

“I thought bacon was your other half.”

“Bacon?” Trixx perked up instantly.

Lila chuckled, locking the safe. “That did the trick. Hey, at least you know Duusu’s safe now.”

“You’re right!” Trixx flew around her head as she walked to the kitchen. “Oooh! Here’s an idea! What if you found a partner in crime? They could be Duusu’s new holder! Fox and peacock working together again! It’s been so long…”

“This fox is doing just fine solo, thank you.” Lila put the frying pan on the gas, switching on the flame. “Although… I wonder if Adrien knew that brooch is a Miraculous? He looks _great_ in blue.”

Trixx giggled mischievously. “Hey, I bet Chloe would, too…”

“Ugh, don’t even say her name.”

“Why not? You say it a lot. Mostly at night.” Trixx looked thoughtful. “When you’re having one of your long tooth-brushing sessions.”

Lila swiped at him. “Shut up, or no bacon.”

“You wouldn’t deprive your poor little fox of food!” Trixx looked outraged.

“You’re right. I wouldn’t, but only because you’d scream all night if I did.”

Trixx nodded sagely. “What other reason is there for doing anything?”

Lila sighed. “What would I have said when I first met you if I had known that one day I would be awake at 3am cooking you bacon?”

“Hey. Phenomenal cosmic power, itty bitty fox body. You should feel honoured to be cooking me bacon.”

“Should I also feel honoured when you fall asleep on my chest and blow bacon breath into my face all night?”

“Kit, you have been touched by the bacon breath of a god.”

“Well it’s a god that needs a breath mint.”

\-----

A few nights later, Lila had chosen her next target; the offices of the Mayor, Chloe Bourgeois. Paris was almost a dictatorship under the Bourgeois family at this point; old Andre had retired last year, his daughter, who had been steadily rising to power, had gone for the spot and it had fallen into her lap. There was obviously something going on behind the scenes, but the family also did a good job, so few citizens were really concerned.

Lila scouted the building out for a couple of days. Normally there were windows left open on the upper floors, far too high for any normal thief, but an easy access point for a Miraculous holder with a super jump.

From her carefully-chosen position, concealed in the shadow of a chimney, she watched the comings and goings from the office as the evening drew in. An open window on the seventh floor, her chosen access point, allowed her to hear snippets of sound from within, picked up and magnified by her tall ears. She smiled as she heard the shrill tone of the mayor carry across the street.

\-------

“Sabrina, aren’t you finished yet? I have to get to Adrien’s!”

_No, Chloe, I’m not finished. Maybe it’s because you dropped a new pile of work on my desk two hours ago._ Sabrina bit back the retort. “No, sorry, Chloe.”

“Well, you’ll just have to work overtime then. Come on, Pollen, let’s go.”

The bee kwami shot off the pillow where he had been resting, rushing over to drop into Chloe’s bag. He shot Sabrina a smug look as Chloe headed for the door, and Sabrina glared back at him until he dropped out of sight.

At first Sabrina had been honoured that Chloe had shared her secret identity with her, but she had quickly realised that it was purely so that Chloe didn’t have to come up with excuses when an akuma attacked; Sabrina would just reschedule everything as soon as an akuma alert came in. Sabrina had also somehow become responsible for making sure the office was always supplied with sugared violets, which were all the picky bee kwami would eat. More often than not she was forced to spend an hour or so selecting the very best ones for him, and she’d often get it wrong.

It had been so long now since Paris had been peaceful, without a tempest of Miraculous holders doing battle almost daily. Almost a decade since he had first appeared, Hawk Moth still remained hidden, and was still set on the Ladybug and Black Cat Miraculouses. Half of Paris had probably been akumatised by this point.

Ladybug and Chat Noir had new teammates now, though; Chloe had become Queen Bee a few years back, and shortly afterwards a turtle hero, Carapace, had joined them. The four did a good job of keeping Paris safe, Sabrina supposed, and the public was still fairly enchanted with the heroes, conditioned by now to the constant akuma attacks. Though the city’s population had definitely decreased. Some people couldn’t handle the attacks, and had moved away.

The door slammed as Chloe left, and Sabrina glanced back at the computer. Deciding she’d earned a break from writing Chloe’s speech, she searched for an article about the recent robbery at the Agreste mansion; photos showed Gabriel and Adrien standing outside their mansion with very staged distraught expressions, and a blurry zoomed-in image of the only object taken; a fancy brooch that had supposedly belonged to Adrien’s mother.

Further down was a grainy still of the thief from the mansion’s CCTV, and Sabrina paused, surprised. The figure was clad in orange and white, and appeared to have two long ears poking from their hair, nothing like the clothing of any typical thief.

She scanned the article. The only quote came from Gabriel. _‘I am grateful to Chat Noir for his rapid arrival at the scene; however, he was unable to apprehend the thief, who escaped with a priceless family possession. I will offer a large reward for anyone who can offer information leading to this criminal’s capture, or to the safe return of the brooch.’_ There was no mention of the strange appearance of the thief, though discussion was rife in the comments.

Someone in the comment section had linked to a post on the Ladyblog, and Sabrina clicked it, curious. It was a video, only a couple of minutes long, entitled ‘ _Agreste Mansion Robbery: Chat Noir Official Statement. Fox Miraculous Thief?’_ It was a clip from Alya’s news segment; she now had a job covering everything superhero-related on the evening news. She was the only reporter to be able to get regular interviews with all of the heroes, which had allowed her to rise to fame pretty quickly.

Alya smiled at the camera as the video began, sitting opposite a serious-faced Chat Noir. “Hello, Paris! Chat Noir is here to give us a quick statement on what happened at the Agreste mansion on Tuesday night, where a thief made off with a valuable brooch. Chat, you were the only hero to make it to the scene before the thief escaped. Can you give us a description of the thief? I mean, we’ve all seen the surveillance image, and it seems as if they were wearing some sort of headgear?”

Chat didn’t smile. “That’s true. I have already discussed what I saw with my teammates, and they agree that this was no ordinary thief.” He looked into the camera. “People of Paris, please be very cautious about safeguarding your homes. It seems that the missing Fox Miraculous has come into the possession of a thief. The Fox Miraculous grants the ability to create convincing illusions- of people, objects, sounds, anything. Be extra wary, and make sure your precious belongings are locked up. And if you see any sign of this thief I urge you to contact us over the Ladyblog immediately.”

“So can you describe what we should be looking out for?” Alya pressed. Sabrina noticed she was no longer smiling. Her face had dropped, in fact, at the first mention of the Fox Miraculous.

“The thief is a young woman dressed in an orange and white suit, with long brown boots and gloves and tall fox ears in her hair. She also wore an orange and white mask over her eyes, and a fox-tail necklace. If you see anyone who matches this description, especially at night, please contact us immediately. We believe she may also be behind a string of smaller thefts across Paris.” Chat nodded to himself. “That’s all the info we have for now, Paris. Stay vigilant!”

“You heard him, Paris! Keep your eyes open for that foxy thief!”

There were a flood of comments which Sabrina didn’t bother to read. Another Miraculous holder causing trouble, what a surprise. She closed the window and went back to the speech, typing and deleting, typing and rewording, barely noticing as the hour grew later and later.

 

Sabrina woke up with a start, her cheek pressed into her keyboard. Groaning, she sat up and appraised the enormous string of ‘wwwwwwwwwwwwwww’ she had added to the end of the speech before snapping her laptop shut. The action plunged her into semi-darkness; glancing out of the window she saw a dark, star-studded sky. A check of her phone confirmed that the early hours of the morning had arrived.

Running her fingers across the fading imprints of the keyboard on her skin, she glanced around. Everything seemed to be as it should-

_rattle rattle_

A rough metallic noise, like a jewellery box being shaken, came from down the hallway. Sabrina froze, listening, and heard soft footsteps.

It couldn’t be Chloe; she would have switched on the lights at least, if not made her presence known. And yet someone was moving around in Chloe’s private rooms.

Sabrina stayed quiet, unsure what she should do. She didn’t want to call the police if it did turn out to just be Chloe, but at the same time she didn’t feel safe calling out or going to check in case it was an intruder. She unlocked her phone. Maybe she could post on the Ladyblog and ask for the heroes to check in during their patrol? Then again, the patrol would likely be over by now.

She didn’t have time to debate, as she heard the door down the hall creak slightly and soft footsteps moving up the hallway towards her. Making a split-second decision, she turned off the phone, opened her laptop and put her face back on the keyboard. With her face towards the door, she closed her eyes to a slit and watched, her heart jumping as the footsteps paused outside the door.

The door handle slowly turned, and then the door was ever so slowly pushed ajar. The person paused again, as if listening, then finally entered the room.

The figure was looking right at her, eyes glinting in the dim light. Sabrina recognised the fox thief she’d heard described earlier as her eyes focused on the tall ears and the shadow of a mask on the woman’s face. The intruder stepped closer, and addressed her in a beautifully accented voice. “I know you’re awake. I heard your breathing change from the other room.”

Sabrina stayed still for a moment, then tentatively raised her head, closing her laptop again. A quick assessment showed her that all the figure carried was a flute; no weapon. The fox ears rising above her coppery brown hair were swivelling around to listen for trouble, but the woman herself did not seem concerned at all.

Sabrina stood up, emboldened by the lack of weaponry. “Who are you?” she asked, forcing her voice to stay steady. “And what are you doing here?”

“Oh, I’m just scavenging,” came the response. “I thought the Bourgeois heiress might have some nice treasures.” The thief wandered over to Chloe’s barely-used desk and opened a drawer, rifling through the contents with mild interest. Sabrina almost unconsciously reached for her laptop and clutched it to her chest, and the other woman glanced up to watch, exhaling through her nose in something that sounded like amusement before moving on to the next drawer.

“Excuse me, but you need to leave!” Sabrina warned, marching around her desk to confront the other woman.

“Oh?” The thief straightened up, locks of her long hair falling around her bare shoulders. “Why’s that? Aren’t you enjoying my company?”

Sabrina glared at her incredulously. “You are breaking and ente-”

The thief cut her off. “I didn’t break anything. There was a window open on the seventh floor, I took the opportunity.”

“You are still trespassing,” Sabrina insisted. “And with obvious intent to steal.”

“Is it obvious?” The thief closed the drawer and crossed the room quicker than Sabrina thought possible; her green eyes were suddenly scrutinising Sabrina’s face. “How do you know I wasn’t just seeking company?”

“You- just said-” Sabrina stammered, but she was thrown off by the thief stepping closer once again, close enough that Sabrina felt trapped against the desk.

“I said I was looking for treasures,” the thief hummed. Sabrina’s skin prickled as the sharp green gaze flitted down her body. “Heh. Think I might have found one.”

“Now wait just a minute!” Sabrina pressed herself backwards against the desk in a futile attempt to put some distance between them. “You still haven’t told me who you are, and why I shouldn’t be calling the police right now!”

The fox rolled her eyes, but stepped back, to Sabrina’s relief. “My name is Renardente.” She tossed her head as she spoke, the fox-tail necklace at her throat catching the light where it rested against her exposed collarbone. Sabrina had to force herself to focus on the words being spoken rather than the smooth tan skin. She sensed Renardente’s knowing grin, and felt her face burn. “The fiery fox. And you shouldn’t be calling the police because they’d only interrupt us just as we’re getting to know each other.”

“Why would I want to know a petty thief?” Sabrina jabbed back.

“I’m going to ignore that little adjective,” Renardente said smoothly. “Try 'magnificent' instead. And you do want to know me. If you didn’t, you wouldn’t be blushing so much. Or staring.”

“I- I’m not-” Sabrina stammered, but stopped at the obvious lie.

“Don’t worry, you’re not the first,” Renardente hummed, looking smug. “I’m a very foxy lady. Luckily for your little racing heart, I swing both ways.”

Sabrina kept silent, her mind panicking and crashing in on itself simultaneously. _What is happening?_

Her skin started prickling all over again as Renardente took a seat on the edge of her desk next to her, and she hardly dared look over as the thief leaned backwards to pull open the drawers. Renardente only gave the drawers full of papers a cursory glance before sprawling on the desk, a disappointed pout on her face. “This wasn’t nearly as fruitful as I hoped,” she complained. “Doesn’t little Miss Moneybags have any jewellery stashed around?”

“Like that brooch you took from the Agrestes?” Sabrina found her voice again, and turned a disapproving glare to the thief. “That pin was all Adrien had left from his mother, and you took it. You should be ashamed.”

Surprise glinted in Renardente’s eyes for a moment before she shrugged. “How was I meant to know? And it’s not like I can give it back.”

“Of course, you probably already sold it.” Sabrina turned away in disgust.

Renardente’s eyes narrowed, but then she shrugged. “It’s none of your business what I do with the things I take.”

“What do you _want?”_ Sabrina repeated. She was exhausted, and irritated now, desperate to go home. But obviously, she couldn’t just leave Renardente to ransack the building. “You know there isn’t anything to steal now, so why are you still here?”

“Maybe I was enjoying our conversation.”

“Well, I’m not.”

“Too bad. I thought this could be the start of a promising friendship.”

“Friendship?” Sabrina glared incredulously at the other woman, who was still draped across the desk. She refused to acknowledge the way her face heated up as the fox thief shot her a flirty wink. “You’ve got some nerve!”

Renardente sat up and got to her feet, stretching casually. “It seems we’ve got off on the wrong foot. How about I give you a lift home?”

“What, so you can break in there too?”

“Again, never broke anything. And no, I just don’t think you can drive yourself home safely the way you are.”

“What do you-” Sabrina interrupted herself with a yawn, and when she opened her eyes Renardente was giving her an ‘I told you so’ look. She was also closer than Sabrina remembered.

“No, thank you,” Sabrina said stiffly. “I see your point, but I’ll just sleep here.”

Renardente raised her eyebrow, but eventually shrugged, turning away. “Have it your way.” She headed for the door. “I’m sure I’ll see you again, snappy redhead. I’ll be checking in here every so often from now on, see if Miss Bourgeois leaves me anything interesting.” She vanished out of the door, then whipped her head back into the room. “Not that she didn’t already.”

Sabrina stayed in her office, still clutching her laptop, until Renardente’s footsteps had faded. Realising she would just have to take the thief’s word that she would leave, Sabrina took her few valuables with her for safekeeping when she hurried down the corridor to the employee lounge and set herself up a makeshift bed on one of the couches. Despite her exhaustion, sleep took a long time to come, and when it did it brought confusing dreams of orange masks, white-tipped tails and mesmerising green eyes.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow this has taken so long
> 
> It's Lila Appreciation Week though, so it seems a good time to finally update this.

“Wake up!” a shrill voice demanded. “You should have started work twenty minutes ago!”

Sabrina swatted at the air dismissively, still half asleep, and her hand struck something small and furry. That same something immediately began wailing, “ _Chloe!”_

“What?” came Chloe’s slightly exasperated tone from the other side of the room. Sabrina heard the hiss of the coffee maker, and blinked her eyes open.

“She hit me!”

Straightening her crooked glasses, Sabrina saw Pollen hovering a short distance away, grooming his ruff back into place and eyeing her with open disgust. The bee kwami stuck his nose in the air and huffed, “Filthy worker,” as he flitted across the room.

“Did you stay late?” Chloe asked, ignoring her kwami’s whinging. “How’s the speech coming?”

“I… fell asleep at my desk,” Sabrina admitted. “But the speech is almost done.”

Chloe crossed the room, and Sabrina retracted her feet so that Chloe could sit next to her. Passing Sabrina a mug of coffee, Chloe sighed. “Sorry for leaving you in the lurch yesterday. I was just anxious to get to Adrien’s for the official press release about the robbery.”

“Yes, I know, but you could have been less snappy about it.”

Pollen gave an indignant gasp from where he was settling into Chloe’s hair, but Chloe just gave a little smile. “Sorry. Old habits, you know.” She nudged her friend. “Of course you know. When I said overtime, I meant like, an hour. Not overnight.”

“Now you tell me.” The pair chuckled softly, before Pollen interrupted, clearing his throat.

“My queen, shouldn’t the worker-”

“Pollen,” Chloe admonished. “We talked about this.”

Pollen shot Sabrina a glare. “Ahem. Of course. Shouldn’t _Sabrina_ be getting back to work on that speech? Not to mention fetching me some sugared violets?”

“Oh, get your own!” Chloe told him, giving him a gentle poke with her finger. “You can fetch them perfectly fine at home, it’s only here that you need waiting on hand and foot!”

Pollen looked slightly affronted, but flew out of the room towards the office storeroom. Chloe rolled her eyes. “Sorry. I think he’s getting worse, honestly. He’s such a sweetheart when it’s just me, but with everyone else he’s like a possessive dog. Who’d have a kwami, huh? I hear Chat’s is a bit of a nightmare as well.”

Sabrina snorted. “Say what you will about being a superhero, but if I find a black hexagonal box in my house one day I’m just posting it to New Zealand.”

“Probably a good choice,” Chloe agreed. “I wish I could have just one day without having to fight some angry guy who missed his train.”

“Are you any closer to finding Hawk Moth?” Sabrina asked. “At the rate he’s making akuma, half of the city will be lining up to punch him when you finally get him.”

“That’s the plan. We’re going to catch him by a process of elimination. When there’s only one person in Paris left who hasn’t been akumatised… we’ll know.” They chuckled, and fell into a brief silence, sipping their drinks.

“Does Hawk Moth have a kwami?” Sabrina asked.

“Of course he does,” Chloe said. “The butterfly kwami is called something like… Noonoo? Pollen was telling me, I wasn’t really listening.”

“I think you meant Nooroo, my queen,” Pollen said, flitting back into the room with three sugared violets in his tiny paws. “I haven’t seen him for many years, along with Duusu, the kwami of the peacock Miraculous. Both of them have been missing for almost a century, so-”

“What about the Fox Miraculous?” Sabrina questioned suddenly. “What’s the fox kwami’s name?”

Pollen blinked at her, a little irritated that she had interrupted him, but he didn’t dare chide her with Chloe watching. “The fox kwami is called Trixx.” He preened his ruff, nipping at a sugared violet. “He’s being used by that thief at the moment. Frankly, she’s welcome to him and his bacon obsession.”

“A thief with a Miraculous,” Chloe muttered. “It’s ridiculous that Carapace lost the necklace in the first place, but now someone’s using it to cause trouble. Well, she’d better stay away from the hotel, or she’ll have Queen Bee to deal with.”

Sabrina didn’t say anything. Renardente’s coy smile swam through her mind. Draining the rest of her tea, she moved to pick up her laptop. “Well, I had better get back to writing your speech.”

Pollen nodded smugly, but Chloe caught Sabrina’s arm. “Are you coming to the hotel tonight?” She smirked. “Alya’s going to be there.”

Sabrina felt her face heat up a little. She’d known Alya for years, and yet only recently had she started to feel that there might be something there. They playfully matched wits every time they met, but the dialogue had become significantly more flirty over the last couple of months. Something about being around Alya felt… right. “M-maybe.”

“I’ll let you finish early to go home and clean up,” Chloe wheedled. She clapped her hands. “In fact, _I’ll_ finish off the speech if you send it my way. Just take care of whatever comes in this morning and then head home, ok? I’ll be out for lunch, but when I get back you’d better not be here.”

“Ok, I’ll go,” Sabrina smiled.

“Good. I’ll pick you up from home at 9. It’ll be fun, I think most of our old class will be there.”

“Whose birthday is it again?”

“It’s not a birthday, it’s Juleka and Rose’s engagement party. Remember? I thought you’d memorised my schedule.”

Sabrina rolled her eyes. “I gave up on that after the 7th time you had to drop everything for an akuma. It’s probably down as ‘social event’ or something.”

“Whatever. Just dress nice. I do not want to be an hour late again because you decided a gingham dress was a good idea.”

“I liked it!”

“Sabrina, you literally looked like you were wearing a tablecloth.”

“Fine!” Sabrina huffed. “Maybe come half an hour early? Just in case?”

Chloe grinned. “I’ll be there at 8.”

 

That evening, after a nap and a long bath, Sabrina was feeling a lot better. She glanced at the clock as she dried her hair; 7.30. That was just enough time to tidy up her hair and grab something to eat before Chloe arrived to ‘help’ her select an outfit.

Working for Chloe paid fairly well; she could afford a small but comfortable apartment in one of the nicer districts of Paris. Chloe, in the Bourgeois fashion, would occasionally buy her an expensive gift as a bonus, so she had a few more luxurious items scattered through her home. On the whole, though, her furniture was cheap and functional, decorated with the geometric patterns she loved. Chloe made no secret about her distaste for the furniture, and occasionally offered to replace it, but for Sabrina one of the greatest joys in living alone was choosing how to express herself through her home.

She paused to make accommodations for Pollen; there was a little decorative alcove in one wall of her sitting room, where she had placed a little cushion, a tiny doll’s comb and a shot glass, which she now filled with sugared violets. Figuring there would be food at the hotel, she settled for an apple before heading back to her room and starting to set out some of her nicer items of clothing on her bed. At 7.45, a car horn sounded outside.

Sabrina glanced out of the window to see Chloe, already dressed to the nines, climbing out of her limousine with armfuls of clothing and accessories. Smiling, Sabrina buzzed Chloe into the building and a minute later, was there to meet her at the apartment door and accept the heap of clothing.

Pollen darted out of Chloe’s handbag and, with a cursory disdainful glance at Sabrina, he flitted over to the little alcove. It would keep him content, at least.

“Come on,” Chloe said, leading the way to Sabrina’s room. “We don’t have long.”

“I have my own clothes, you know,” Sabrina said, dropping the pile on her bed.

“I just thought you might appreciate a bit more choice,” Chloe said graciously, picking up one of Sabrina’s skirts and moving it aside gingerly. “Blue and green are definitely your colours, and yet you keep buying purple things. Now, I think you should try this dress first. I saw it earlier and it just seemed so _you_.”

“Wait, Chloe, are these all new?” For the first time Sabrina spotted price tags sticking out from the pile. “You bought me a whole new wardrobe?”

“Nowhere near a whole wardrobe, but a step in the right direction.”

“Chloe, you-” Sabrina picked up the dress Chloe had indicated and balked at the price tag. “How much did this cost?”

Chloe waved her hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it.”

“I will worry about it if it’s going to affect your finances!”

“It’s not. I checked the numbers.” Chloe huffed. “Ugh, I try to do something nice for you and you just bite my head off.”

“Chloe… I asked you to stop buying me things.”

Chloe shrugged. Her voice was oddly quiet. “I just thought you might appreciate it. You know. Because it’s today.”

“What’s special about today?” Sabrina frowned, then looked at the calendar. May 27th. The date sat uncomfortably on her mind. There was something she was supposed to remember today. Then she recalled what it was.

“Oh, my akumaversary,” Sabrina murmured. “I’d forgotten.” She crossed to the dresser, opening the bottom drawer and taking out a little box. Opening it, she ran her thumb gently over the rose pin, wincing a little as memories invaded her mind.

Chloe watched her in silence. Sabrina knew her friend understood perfectly what was going through her mind. After all, Chloe still kept one particular pair of Ladybug earrings locked at the back of her safe. Akuma victims usually chose not to dwell on their experiences, but akumaversaries had become a recognised phenomenon in Paris, not for any celebration but for quiet reflection.

As a 14-year-old, Sabrina had seen her father throw out his whistle, then dig it back out of the bin in the middle of the night. She didn’t know where he kept it now, but after Vanisher she’d understood him. There was an irrational fear that this tie to your alternate self had to be kept within your reach, for the knowledge that it was secure and under your control. Having control of your mind and body torn away from you could do that.

Some people still wore their akumatised objects, but most kept them hidden out of sight. There had been a few instances of people being re-akumatised into the same akuma, but thankfully those were rare.

“Anyway,” Sabrina said, closing the box and putting it aside with a brave smile, “Shall we get ready to go?”

 

Almost an hour later, Sabrina was climbing into the limousine in the turquoise dress Chloe had suggested. She hadn’t been sure about it originally, but she could not argue with how it looked, and with only a little coaching from Chloe she had managed to apply complementary makeup and jewellery to the outfit and neatly curl her shoulder-length red hair.

Chloe slid onto the seat next to her and closed the door; as the car began moving she reached forwards to take a bottle of champagne out of the built-in cooler. Expertly distributing it into two slender glasses, Chloe passed one to Sabrina.

“To catching Hawk Moth and forming an orderly queue to kick him in the groin?” Chloe suggested, and Sabrina laughed and clinked glasses with her friend.

The hotel function room was already alive with laughter and music when they stepped in, and Rose immediately hurried to greet them, with Juleka following more slowly.

“I’m so happy you could make it!” Rose squealed, hugging Sabrina first and then Chloe.

“Yeah, thanks for coming,” Juleka added, wrapping her arms around Rose in the way she always had. Sabrina smiled, and Juleka gave her a guarded smile in response.

“We’re just waiting for Ivan and Mylene now!” Rose told them. “In the meantime, the bar is open and the hors d’oeuvres are delicious!” She beamed at Chloe. “Thanks so much for paying for all this, Chloe!”

“You did?” Sabrina asked, surprised. She wasn’t Chloe’s accountant, so she hadn’t seen the charge.

Chloe shrugged. “It’s not a problem. Congratulations, anyway.”

Sabrina looked around. There were a lot of familiar faces around, along with several that she didn’t recognise. After congratulating Juleka and Rose, she drifted over to the bar. She hadn’t spotted Alya yet.

There was another woman standing by the bar, a colourful drink in her hand. She looked somehow familiar, but Sabrina couldn’t quite place her until she turned around and Sabrina spotted the fox-tail necklace around her neck.

“Hello,” Sabrina ventured, and the woman’s green eyes fell on her. “Lila, right?”

Lila raised an eyebrow. “Yeah. You’ll have to forgive me, but you are…?”

“Sabrina. Sabrina Raincomprix. I’m… Chloe’s friend.”

“Oh, right, I recognise you now.” Lila skimmed the room with her gaze. “Is Chloe here, then?

“Yes, she’s just over there.” Sabrina expected the other woman to head across to Chloe then, but instead Lila stayed in place, sipping her drink.

“So what are you doing now?” Lila asked. “Still under Chloe’s thumb?”

Bristling a little, Sabrina replied tersely. “No. I’m her secretary and personal assistant. And you wouldn’t know this, but she’s gotten a lot nicer since college.”

“Hm. So I heard.”

Sabrina waited a moment, but Lila didn’t elaborate. Shifting her feet, Sabrina asked, “What are you doing at the moment?”

Lila shrugged. “I was trying to get into politics, but I’ve started a little freelance project that’s paying off really well, so I’m probably just going to devote myself to that full-time.”

“Oh? What do you do?”

Lila smiled. “Trading jewellery, watches, that kind of thing. A bit of buying and selling. But so far I’m turning a decent profit. In fact I just got a _really_ nice antique in last week, and I’m looking for a buyer.”

“Well, maybe Chloe would be interested?” Sabrina asked. “She likes expensive jewellery.”

“Hmm. Maybe. It won’t be just anybody who takes this particular piece off my hands.” Lila gave Sabrina a critical look. “It’s one of a kind.”

Sabrina shook off the look, smiling brightly. “That sounds interesting! Do you have any pict-”

“Sabrina?” a voice asked behind them. “I’ve been waiting for you to turn up!”

“Alya!” Sabrina turned around to greet the reporter with a hug, and a kiss on the cheek that lasted just slightly longer than it should. “You remember Lila, right?”

“Obviously.” Alya surveyed Lila sceptically, her eyes lingering on the chain at her throat. “Huh. I like your necklace.”

“Thanks, it’s an Agreste original.” Lila greeted Alya with a tight-lipped smile, before glancing back at Sabrina, a strange look in her eyes. “Hmph. Maybe I _will_ have a word with Chloe.” She slunk away, and Alya watched her go with a suspicious look on her face.

“I saw your interview with Chat Noir,” Sabrina said, distracting Alya.

“Yeah? Can you believe someone’s using the Fox Miraculous to steal?” Alya shook her head, and lowered her voice. “That poor kwami.”

Sabrina knew that Alya knew the identities of all the heroes, though she’d never admitted it. Alya was therefore aware that Chloe was Queen Bee, and aware that Sabrina also knew. Alya spent a lot of time researching and interviewing akuma victims, as well as the heroes, and it was a wonder that she hadn’t figured out Hawk Moth’s identity yet.

“Pollen was saying its name is Trixx?” Sabrina responded, also in a low tone. “It’s a shame. I wonder how the Fox Miraculous was stolen?”

“Carapace said it just disappeared.” Alya rolled her eyes. “I think he just got clumsy and dropped it somewhere, honestly.”

Sabrina snorted. “Whoever Rena Rouge was, she must be fuming.”

“Probably.” Alya’s eyes darted back to Lila. “The heroes will catch the thief soon enough, though, and then maybe Rena will get the Miraculous back.”

“Hopefully. Well, I was just getting a glass of wine,” Sabrina said, stepping over to the bar. “Do you want anything?”

“I’ll take a glass of rosé for now.”

“Buying two glasses seems a little counterproductive. Do you want to split a bottle?”

“Now you’re speaking my language.”

 

An hour and a half later, with an empty wine bottle on the table between them, Alya commented, “I noticed it was your akumaversary today. How are you holding up?”

“Oh, I’m fine. I’d forgotten until Chloe reminded me.” Sabrina finished off her glass. “Do you want another drink?”

“Hey!” Marinette suddenly appeared at the table, her face flushed with drink and her arm hooked around Nino’s. “Chloe’s buying shots, if you two want to join in.”

“It’s like my twenty-first all over again,” Nino grumbled, but he let Marinette tug him over to the table where a butler was lining up shot glasses.

“Sab, get over here!” Chloe demanded. “I sent out a group email and gave everyone at the office the day off tomorrow, so you don’t need to wake up for work!”

Even through the gentle haze of alcohol, Sabrina managed to feel horror at what she had just heard. “Chloe, you’re the Mayor! You can’t just take a day off!”

“It’s my akumaversary, I’m sure they’ll understand. Come on, do a shot with your BFF to celebrate the day Ladybug pulled a butterfly out of your brain!”

The partygoers cheered. Sabrina sighed, but Alya elbowed her and nudged her to her feet. “Come on, she’s the boss.”

“Some things never change,” Sabrina agreed, and Alya laughed, slipping an arm easily around Sabrina’s shoulders.

Chloe, Marinette, Nino, Alix and Kim were already standing around the table. Alya accepted the shots Marinette pushed towards her, gripping both in one hand while apparently unwilling to let go of Sabrina.

“To Hawk Moth!” Alix chanted unexpectedly, holding her shot in the air. “And his continued, eternal failure!”

Kim and Sabrina laughed, while the others only chuckled, but echoed the sentiment. Sabrina took her shot from Alya’s hand and quickly tossed it back, sticking her tongue out in distaste.

“Another!” Chloe shrieked, and Sabrina groaned.

After a flavoured shot for each of the heroes, Chloe finally let them leave. Her tongue still tingling with the sweetness of the Queen Bee mixed shot, Sabrina tried hard to focus on walking straight as Alya gently pulled her away from the crowd.

“You ok, Bri?” Alya asked playfully, keeping her hand on Sabrina’s arm.

“Are _you_?” Sabrina affected a critical tone, watching Alya swaying slightly on her feet.

“Could be better, honestly.”

“Yeah that… that sounds accurate.” Sabrina exhaled. “Maybe I need a new boss.”

“It took you this long to figure that out?” Alya teased. “Then again, you can be a little slow on the uptake about… some things.”

Her face heating up, Sabrina met Alya’s gaze, and they chuckled, before falling silent.

“So, do you want to go outside for some air?” Alya asked, tracing her fingertips across the back of Sabrina’s hand.

Sabrina shrugged. “Well, technically…there’s no more air out there than there is in here-”

“Yeah, OK, _Max_ , I get it.” Alya huffed slightly, but she was smiling.

Sabrina rested her head on Alya’s shoulder. “You know I’m kidding,” she grinned.

Alya rolled her eyes, but put an arm around her again. “I know you are. You just like to make everything complicated.”

“Oh, really?” Sabrina shifted her head to glare playfully at Alya. “Name one thing I’ve made complicated.”

Alya cast a sidelong glance at her. “Well… I asked if you wanted to go outside, you know, somewhere private… and you’re spouting ‘technically…’ at me.”

Sabrina felt her heart stutter at Alya’s intense gaze. “Oh.”

“Yeah.” Alya squeezed Sabrina gently. “So… do you want to go outside for some _air?”_

“Yes, please.” Sabrina glanced around herself, assessing the crowds. “You go first, and I’ll follow you in a few minutes.”

“You’re doing it again, Bri.”

“Come on, I’m trying to make it more subtle!” Sabrina stepped back. “Do you know how much Chloe would smirk at me if she saw us?”

“I’m guessing… not as much as Adrien would at me.” Alya grinned. “I guess we’ll never know, though, since you want to be sneaky.” She leaned closer to Sabrina’s ear. “You’ll never know who was right out of the two of us. Doesn’t that tear you up inside?”

“Not as much as you think it does. I’m not Max with all his complaining about unfalsifiable hypotheses.”

“But you do like being right.” Alya glanced up. “Besides, they’ve both seen us already, so we may as well just go.”

Sabrina slowly turned her head to see the two blondes standing side by side with matching smug grins. She flinched, but then shook her head in defeated amusement. “You’re sneaky too, Alya Cesaire, in your own way.”

Alya laughed. “Get used to that face of Chloe’s, I think you’ll be seeing it a lot tomorrow.”

Smiling, Sabrina raised an eyebrow. “Not as much as yours, I hope.”

Alya returned the grin. “6pm? I know a little place where they won’t bother us.”

“6pm.” Sabrina slipped her hand into Alya’s. “Come on, I really do need some air. And I know a private little balcony on the fourth floor.”


End file.
